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Thread Number: 15149
GE's - "you bring these things back to life" |
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Post# 255994 12/23/2007 at 21:40 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz  (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Hey Gang ~ Thought I would share a bit of weekend warrior progress with all of you. Due to the cold winter temps and a crazy arrangement of family gatherings and lack of tools needed for house work - I thought I'd spend a few minutes on the late 60's GE washer. In the fall of 2004 a friend asked if I'd like to visit an antique shop on the west side of Waterloo. She had mentioned that he had some old wringers (a few model N's) and old appliances. What was found later on in the storage garage of the now defunct antique dealer in Waterloo was a cool looking GE. It had a price tag of $150 dollars on it. Knowing he was closing up shop that day - I asked what I would have to give him to haul it out that day. 15 bucks later and the GE was now saved. I would have felt very bad for a needy family if they would have bought this GE. While the machine is in great cosmetic shape - the crazy 3 speed clutch was totally toast. After hearing how bad it was I decided to leave this machine for another day knowing this was only the 2nd vintage washer I had picked up. Fast forward 3 years to earlier this fall - a nice late 70's parts GE shows up at Menards. Bring it home and it works perfect. After parting it out I discovered that it did not have the 2 speed clutch that I was hoping for but instead a 1 speed clutch. I figured any speed was better than none in the classic GE! Over the last few weeks I've taken parts from the donor GE and brought the old 60's GE back to life. A few years ago I stumbled upon one of those mid-sixties timeline GE's behind an appliance store. I grabbed the ramp activator out of it but was foolish to leave the washer behind. It was sent to the crusher the next day - but thankfully part of it was kept for future use. I've included a link here to a short video that was put together to show the difference between the straight vane activator and the ramp activator. Enjoy the video and the photos ~ CLICK HERE TO GO TO swestoyz's LINK 
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Post# 255996 , Reply# 1 12/23/2007 at 21:42 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Parts GE | ||
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Post# 255997 , Reply# 2 12/23/2007 at 21:43 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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1 speed vs. 3 speed | ||
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Post# 255998 , Reply# 3 12/23/2007 at 21:46 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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More 3 speed. How do you get 3 speeds with 2 solenoids? Easy - each solenoid (upper and lower half of the clutch) controls an individual speed. Engage both and, IIRC, you obtain the slow speed. There are supposed to be fingers that are attached to each of the solenoid arms - but that is just one of the reasons why this thing did not work. A weak point on these machines. 
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Post# 255999 , Reply# 4 12/23/2007 at 21:48 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256000 , Reply# 5 12/23/2007 at 21:50 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256001 , Reply# 6 12/23/2007 at 21:51 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256002 , Reply# 7 12/23/2007 at 21:55 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Coming together
For some reason - they threw out a machine that was serviced recently. The shoes on the 1 speed mechanism from Menards were practically new! (notice how much more clutch material is present on these shoes compared to those above). If you are taking a GE clutch assembly down this far - make sure you get the screws on the U-Bolt very tight! (unlike me) Add a new coat of grease to the shafts the clutch shoes pivot on and you've got yourself a nice clutch! 
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Post# 256003 , Reply# 8 12/23/2007 at 21:56 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256005 , Reply# 9 12/23/2007 at 21:58 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Water Valve upgrade | ||
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Post# 256006 , Reply# 10 12/23/2007 at 22:01 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Does it work? | ||
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Post# 256008 , Reply# 11 12/23/2007 at 22:02 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Toggleswitch close up | ||
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Post# 256009 , Reply# 12 12/23/2007 at 22:03 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Timer Close up | ||
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Post# 256010 , Reply# 13 12/23/2007 at 22:04 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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V14 Ramp vs. Straight | ||
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Post# 256012 , Reply# 14 12/23/2007 at 22:05 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256014 , Reply# 15 12/23/2007 at 22:06 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 256015 , Reply# 16 12/23/2007 at 22:08 (5,961 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Eh, is this thread over yet? | ||
| Post# 256018 , Reply# 17 12/23/2007 at 22:26 (5,961 days old) by tlee618 () | ||
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Ben, what a fun video, thanks so much for sharing that. Is that a full console lite I see on that machine??? You need to get yourself down here boy, we'll work on that tan!!!! | ||
| Post# 256027 , Reply# 18 12/23/2007 at 23:52 (5,961 days old) by rogera608s (Tucson,AZ) | ||
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Ben, What a beautiful GE. The video reminded me of a 1970 GE I had years ago with the turquoise agitator.....sorry I got rid of that one. You did a great job with that machine. Roger | ||
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Post# 256035 , Reply# 19 12/24/2007 at 01:32 (5,961 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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Excellent "A" & "B" test! | ||
| Post# 256039 , Reply# 21 12/24/2007 at 02:16 (5,961 days old) by brettsomers () | ||
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those GE Spiral Activators dont beat around the bush, do they? very impressive. cool vids. and you look good in that picture holding that assembly thing. | ||
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Post# 256042 , Reply# 23 12/24/2007 at 03:25 (5,960 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions) |
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Post# 256047 , Reply# 25 12/24/2007 at 05:17 (5,960 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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Post# 256068 , Reply# 26 12/24/2007 at 09:19 (5,960 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA) |
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Nice tutorial Ben! Thanks for the insight. Great photos. Who needs speeds with such a nice machine! Those were really good machines, and I'll take the spiral Activator over the straight-vane anyday! | ||
| Post# 256074 , Reply# 27 12/24/2007 at 11:02 (5,960 days old) by laundryshark (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) | ||
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Wow! Cool Video! Thanks, Ben, for sharing that video. Now if somebody won't mind grabbing me a converted copy for download, that would be o so fitting in my private collection. Many Thanks and Merry Christmas!--Laundry Shark | ||
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Post# 256087 , Reply# 28 12/24/2007 at 13:25 (5,960 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Ben,
Wonderful video and pictures! That machine is spotless! I am so very glad that I found that matching pair in Oregon and the pictures of the clutch assembly should help me quite a bit when I get around to mine. Mine is surprisingly VERY quiet with the two speeds that work so, who knows, it might be fixable. I think I'm a bigger fan of the straight-vain activator. Maybe because it's the purist in me? Either way, I filled it up full of pants one night and it can turn over very well. I love how these older GE's fill up very full too so you can get a good sized load in them with no wasted space in the tub. Thanks again for the VERY helpful and enjoyable video! Jon | ||
| Post# 256092 , Reply# 29 12/24/2007 at 14:29 (5,960 days old) by hoover1060 () | ||
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very cool Ben I like the spiral activator better, that wash action amazes me! Maybe its because I have so little experience with that type? Excellent job on the restoration too! | ||
| Post# 256111 , Reply# 30 12/24/2007 at 15:45 (5,960 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 256168 , Reply# 31 12/24/2007 at 23:52 (5,960 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Thanks for the comments guys - it really is appreciated. From the little I have been able to wash with in this machine - I have a feeling that the straight activator would best wash small, loose loads - while the ramp (or spiral) activator would probably handle a well loaded wash with ease. The noise difference seems to be mostly the nature of each agitator depending on water level and load size. With a full load and the filterflo atop and the lid closed, both are pretty close for noise. All in all - it is great to have both available and a nice reference video for future enthusiasts! Ben | ||
| Post# 256349 , Reply# 32 12/26/2007 at 11:12 (5,958 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
Hello, Ben
Love how you said you were out of tools for housework. That's awesome, and it's the best and funniest excuse I've ever heard for playing with the washers. Great video and pics. You did a lot of work. What a generous and satisfying gift to all of us. I hear ya. After getting a spiral, the straight one just collects dust. With large loads, the difference is striking. I have another white spiral, a smaller one. Would you like to have it? | ||
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Post# 256387 , Reply# 34 12/26/2007 at 18:37 (5,958 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Great video, Ben. The '69 you have is my favorite GE washer---three cycles, three speeds. Given the choice, I'll take the ramped agitator. I like how it whirls the clothing in a circle, much like an indexing-tub machine does. Thanks for the comparison---exactly the sort of thing we washerheads love to see.
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Post# 256444 , Reply# 35 12/27/2007 at 07:20 (5,957 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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filterflo (Jimmy)
See if those guys have any 3-speed clutches too!!! hehe...doubt it but was worth a shot. I'm hoping my 3-speed clutch just has a bad solenoid or something. I'm not sure when I'll have the time to look at it though. I know you said yours was making a lot of noise Ben and surprisingly my machine is the quitest GE I've ever come across. Maybe that's a good sign? Jon | ||
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